There are many examples, some of which are provided herein, where the applicant believes it to be beneficial to provide a tensile load bearing, electrically insulating, flexible isolation member which is weather resistant and which advantageously may also provide for rotation in the form of swivelling or other relative motion along the length of the flexible member so as to relieve torsional loads and/or shearing loads. One example, already mentioned, is for use in replacing, or what applicant refers to as reconductoring or restringing of power line conductors or static wires respectively. Other examples may include the use of the flexible isolation member in a sling line under a helicopter, for example when used to suspend a lineman from the helicopter for power line maintenance work.
As will be commonly known, overhead power lines use one or more phases of conductors to transmit electricity within a transmission grid. The overhead power lines may be used for bulk transmission from a power plant to centers of high demand and for distribution within the centers of high demand. The conductors are often supported above the ground by support structures. Over time the energized transmission lines, referred to herein as energized conductors, may be exposed to harsh weather conditions, or become overloaded. Deteriorated or overloaded conductors must be replaced in that general process previously referred to as reconductoring. Static wires may be strung above the conductors to shield the energized conductors from lightning strikes. Occasionally the static wires, which may be conventional static wires or otherwise may be referred to as overhead ground wire, shield wire, earth wire, etc., or which may be optical ground wire (OPGW), collectively referred to herein as static wire, must also be replaced in a process referred to as restringing. During the reconductoring or restringing process it is often advantageous to use pulling wire instead of pulling rope which may melt, break or otherwise fail if moist or dirty when exposed to a high voltage environment. A high voltage environment occurs when pulling conductors or static wire because each may be subjected to a significant induced voltage due to proximity to one or more high voltage energized conductors, for example carrying 69 kV or more. Thus it is useful to use a pulling wire instead of a pulling rope. The use of pulling wire necessitates the use of a flexible electrically isolating link between the pulling wire and the conductor or static wire that is to be replaced.